By Lynn, on April 14th, 2008%
Here I sit, my work week over. I am still feeling pretty shell shocked over coming back home to work soon. If you don’t know what I’m talking about tune in to this post. I mean, when something comes to you — something that you really wanted but didn’t expect, it can just be hard to absorb that it’s yours. Really yours! It’s a good shock, not a bad shock. Is it Martha Stewart who always says it’s a good thing? Well, it’s a good thing.
Is there any hope?
My poor office. The picture above is the current state my home office is in. I know. It’s really bad. I like to keep my home nice and neat. Not only is it easier to find things when everything is in its place, it’s safer! Yeah. But this last week has been HeCtIc. Not only have I worked my regular hours at Whole Foods, I have been back and forth to my new place of employment to take pre-employment drug testing and fill out forms and so on and so forth. There has been no time to put anything away. I will not share any pictures of any other rooms in my house right now. No. I am only sharing this picture of my office because the office is about to get a re-do and I know you’ll want something to compare to once it’s done.
Hannah over at Cultivating Home shared a great link today. I cruised over to it and ended up looking for office pictures. It was most fun! I want my office to be organized and bright! I also love vintage, so I want a vintage theme. Any suggestions or pictures you can offer me?
I am VERY excited about coming home!! Did I say that three times already? 
For my long hair friends, I wanted to share a couple of pictures of my anime buns. That’s what I call them anyway.
They’re fun, no?
By Lynn, on April 14th, 2008%
can keep you from sleeping! But you probably knew that already.
Every morning last week I woke up early, thinking about my new job, and I just couldn’t go back to sleep. By yesterday I was really tired. I’m working out my notice at Whole Foods, including an 8-hour shift last night, so I took a nap yesterday afternoon before I went into work and then I went to bed as soon as I got home last night, and I think I’m more rested this morning. I’m still excited, but I did sleep well last night. What am I getting at here? I traded in a blog post yesterday for a nap. I missed you!
I still can hardly believe that I am coming back home to work. I’ll be home! In my old house, with my old aggravating windows that look out over my little garden.
I’ll be surrounded by my things — collections of buttons and nature findings and stacks and stacks of books. Home is where my heart has been the whole time, though working at Whole Foods has been a lot of fun. I met a new friend while there, so I wouldn’t trade the experience even if I could, just because of that. But it’s time to come home. I’ll certainly be keeping in touch with my new friend.
I walked outside this morning and took a picture of the purple iris in bloom. The iris is hubby’s favorite flower. I would sit out there and do some journal writing this morning, but it’s chilly! I think I’ll stay in with my green tea and do my reading, writing, and planning inside. Speaking of planning…
I’ve let us fall off the more fresh veggies and fruits wagon — again. Sigh. I think it would be easier if I didn’t work at all, but that’s not the point. One of the things I must do to make working at home easier is to plan my shopping each month so that I get in one or two trips to Aldi’s and one or two trips to Sam’s Club. Weekly I’ll make a trip locally to get fresh fruits and vegetables. We have a farmer’s market close enough for me to ride my bike to it, so I’d like to take advantage of that. Do any of you feel like you are constantly needing to go to the grocery store?? I know I do. I have got to get better at planning ahead and even at producing more things right here at home. I planted some peas last week, but I need to plant more. The lettuce I planted is doing well, but — again — I need to plant more. I bought four 4-packs of tomato plants, but we’ll need more, and we need to get them in the ground! I think a new schedule is in order!
On an herbal note, I now have 8 rosemary plants sprouting from seed (out of 100). I felt a bit of despair over this at first, but upon reading about growing rosemary from seed, I found that the germination rate of success is only about 5%. So I’ve surpassed that already! I also read that over time more and more of the seeds might sprout. They are just hard to germinate at home. I’m not giving up!! The shasta daisies are also doing well, as are the other things I’ve planted from seed.
I supposed I’ve rambled enough this morning. I’ll leave you with a picture of one of the columbines in bloom.
More to come as I think of how to redo my office.
Lynn
By Lynn, on April 12th, 2008%
It’s a day for homeschooling science adventures! Today was opening day for turkey hunters and hubby was out there early. He got one quick so he’s back home already by 9 a.m.
Turkey Stats:
Weight: 20 pounds
Beard Length: 11-1/2 inches
Spurs: 1-3/8 inches; 1-5/16 inches
Oh how rustic! A big man in camouflage at the kitchen sink, getting ready to clean the turkey. He’ll do the cleaning outside, of course.
Whenever “papa bear” gets any kind of game, Princess of the Universe wants to be right there to help, from start to finish. We took some most educational pictures of the wild turkey of North America, and we thought you might want to see them!
Plumage: Adult turkeys may have 6000 feathers! Of course they have the large feathers that make up the wings and tail fans, but the body itself is covered in many black-tipped feathers that shine iridescently. Look at the beautiful colors.
Turkey Senses: With an eye set on each side of the head, the turkey has monocular vision. The turkey is compensated for this, however, by being able to turn the neck fully around and basically have “eyes in the back of its head.” The turkey has small holes behind the eyes which are its ears. (You can see an ear on this turkey right behind hubby’s thumb.) The turkey hears very well and is able to locate the source of noise in the woods and hide quickly. The turkey, fortunately for hunters like papa bear, does not have a keen sense of smell.
Inside the turkey’s mouth is a very rough patch on the back of the tongue. This will help the turkey hold onto something he catches in his mouth. Remember, birds do not have teeth!
Turkey Spurs: You can sort of age a male turkey by the size of his spurs or hooks. A jake — a year old male — will have small spurs. A 2-year-old tom may have spurs in the 1-inch range. A 3-year-old and older tom may have spurs over an inch and perhaps up to 2 inches. This tom that dear hubby got was at least 3 years old. Large spurs and “a decent bird” as hubby said. On interview by yours truly this morning, papa bear said, “I knew it was a shooter the minute I saw it.”
Turkey Beard: Like the spurs, the turkey’s beard can help one age the tom turkey. The beard first appears at about 6 months of age and grows around 3-5 inches per year, stopping around 11 inches. The long black filaments laying out in front of the turkey are the beard.
My daughter is pointing at the red throat pouches, called wattles.
There’s more to this science adventure as a little tiny mole happened to poke up through the ground under said turkey, so when papa bear picked the turkey up after picture-taking, there was a baby mole! With squeals of delight, Princess of the Universe went to find the aquarium we keep for transcient resident critters. More on “Moley” later!
Lynn
By Lynn, on April 11th, 2008%
It’s beautiful and sunny here today. I think we are supposed to have some cold temps later this weekend, but for now… wow! 
It’s hard to see with all the candytuft behind, but the new piece of pottery from the thrift store has a little savory in it.
Yes, these are from the dollar tree, but this set of chimes is one of the gifts Princess of the Universe got me for my birthday last month. They have a highly-prized place on my front porch.
Right next to them is the set of chimes that one of my sons got me for my birthday. Also from Dollar Tree, also highly prized!
I think this vintage planter looks better with bacopa (Sutera cordata) in it. It did have a little catnip, which was moved out and into the ground, and which Jasper promptly shredded with his teeth and then rolled all over and then lay drunken on the sidewalk for the rest of the afternoon.
This thrift store basket looks sweet with some Diascia tucked inside in one pot and savory in another pot.
I love walking through the garden in bare feet with teacup in hand. My mosaic stepping stones are some of my favorite things in the garden.
This mass of blue iris is flowering wonderfully this year — and complementing the blue planter. I think some plant separation is in order, however, after blooming is done.
The cottage pinks are starting to bloom. They smell SO good and are SO pretty.
I like having a little lavendar plant close to my chair on the front porch. I can crush a little leaf and feel so relaxed. Who doesn’t need relaxation??
Last but not least is all the candytuft along the walkway. The candytuft is so profuse, it has lured people up to the garden to see what it is. In my most humble opinion, candytuft is a must in the garden.
Have a great weekend,
Lynn
By Lynn, on April 10th, 2008%
So I did get to visit Logan’s today. And they told me to take all the pictures I wanted.
I did take some pictures! And I had great fun shopping for some herbs and flowers for the garden. When you first enter Logan’s, it doesn’t look that big, but it used to be a train station!
So it’s big! This alleyway-of-sorts runs around the main cafe, greenhouse, and store. These blue signs hang above — marking various destinations, very reminiscent of a train station.
I basically stood and drooled over the pottery. Finally, I tore myself away and told myself, Lynn, you must only get plants today — you cannot afford to spend any money on pottery today. I repeated that as I walked through Logan’s.
Everywhere I looked there were more plants and fountains and garden do-dads. I rounded the corner above and found my true love. Herbs!!
Oh my, I came home with lavendar, sweet marjoram, savory and pineapple sage. They are already potted up and planted in the ground and I’ll show you pictures tomorrow.
They had plenty of knock-out roses, my favorite right now, but they were a little out of my price range. I’ll have to look for a sale on these over the next month or so.
Walking around Logan’s, one can easily see the train tracks on the other side of the fence. Logan’s had plenty of statuary and garden art to choose from.
At the back of Logan’s, looking across the shrubs, I decided to go inside and get out of the hot sun.
Inside I opted for just a pack of seeds, paid for all my stuff and then went to the cafe and ordered a cheddar and veggie sandwich on sunflower seed bread with a Snapple orange-ade and chips and a chocolate chip cookie. Yum!
I had a really, really good day. My day started at the hospital where I signed my paperwork to be a hospital employee, then I went to Logan’s, then I went by a thift store where I found most of the stuff pictured above (the fabric is actually a dress for princess of the universe), and then I went by The Homeschool Gathering Place and then I went home. At the HSGP I got the three Saxon math books in the box marked “free.” What a day!
Lynn
By Lynn, on April 9th, 2008%
I took a few pictures today of the garden. It is really coming out fast now! There are so many spring flowers in bloom and many more beginning to open, the garden looks different every day.
In a little corner of the garden, the polygonum (Japanese knotweed) comes out. It’s pretty, and a little of it is okay, but I’m trying to keep it way down, as it can be quite invasive. (It’s the plant with the big reddish leaves.) I love the little container with the hen and chicks.
I love the bark on my crepe myrtle and the little tulips you can see beyond. The money plants (purple) are beautiful this year! I probably let too many dandelion and cleavers and chickweed grow, but a girl’s gotta have her infusions!
On the steps sit some rhubarb to plant. I’ve always wanted some. It’s perennial and produces more and more each year. Rhubarb pie, anyone?
The garden is getting more and more full. I love how you can see the blue planter with rosemary and part of the red planter on the right. Here’s a closeup of the newly-spray-painted red washtub with horsetail in it.
Quite a few people walk through our neighborhood on their morning or afternoon walks. We live very close to town, so seeing neighbors is one of the fun things about that! Sometimes people will stop and comment on the garden or just chat. I have had a request or two to walk through the garden. I always say yes!
The dogwood is beginning to bloom!
Today I had a few minutes to run over to a local antique store.
I found these two perfect metal chairs and some perfect fabric to cover the seats in. Red spray paint on the metal table made for a perfect match.
Want to sit down in the garden and have some tea? Tomorrow I hope to get to a place called Logan’s. It’s SO much fun to garden shop there. I wonder if they would let me take pictures. You’ll soon find out.
I’ll part with a thought:
It isn’t for the moment you are struck
that you need courage,
but for the long uphill climb back to sanity
and faith and security.
~Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Lynn
PS – The official offer was made to me today to work at home for an hourly rate — with benefits, so I’ll be coming home again. I am SO excited and so thankful. I couldn’t have asked for more.
By Lynn, on April 8th, 2008%
together again. Could it be?
I stood in my garden today just thinking about things before I left the house. I had an appointment today to meet with an old supervisor. Old as in we used to work together way back when. Not old as in old old.
It would appear that a dream-come-true transcription job has been presented to me as an option. I am going to take it when the official offer is made.
Anyone who knows me well knows that my life has been a roller coaster for the last four years. In 2004, my husband woke up in the middle of the night with a heart rate in the mid 200s. He felt weak and sick. His exact words were that his heart felt “bubbly.” It took me a couple of minutes to fully wake up and realize that I needed to call 911.
EMS arrived and determined that he was not even safe to walk. He was carried out on a stretcher and put into an ambulance to go to the hospital. I followed behind in the van while my oldest son stayed behind to watch his siblings.
He was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and it changed life as we knew it. His heart rate was wild all night in the emergency room and he was finally cardioverted (shocked) into a normal sinus rhythm. He ended up spending six days there and having an attempt at ablation which lasted all day.
I took the statement above from a file I have. I just pulled out the bill on top. By the time the dust settled the bill was over 120,000 dollars and my husband was not cured.
He would need another operation, they said, or he could “drop dead.” The first procedure had not been successful. We were covered by insurance, but it was a policy we bought ourselves and I knew after going over it that we were going to be left with some hefty bills if we opted for a second, curative procedure.
In order to get him the best insurance possible, I took a job at a large medical center. At the time, I felt like I would stay there and work until retirement and just abandon my dreams of being a stay-at-home-mom. I mean, I didn’t even know what was going to happen to my husband, but I knew he needed the procedure again and we needed better insurance. I put on a happy face, even though I was going in the opposite direction of where I wanted to be. But for hubby, I could do it.
I don’t want to go into a summary of my life here, but let me tell you this: even after you are cured of something, there is no insurance company that wants to touch “previous heart surgery” with a 10-foot pole. So there began my constant following after medical insurance. Yikes! After a successful procedure, when I was free to come home again, I couldn’t come home! We couldn’t find insurance!
I did finally leave the medical center because my heart just would not allow me to be away from the children that much. Going to Whole Foods to work gave me a bit more time at home than being in the medical center, and it put me in a place that I really enjoyed being, but I felt in my heart it would have to be for a season.
I hope that season is finally ending.
I interviewed today for a position that pays hourly for work at home doing medical transcription. Hourly. Anyone in the industry knows how rare that is and how big a trust it is for a company to pay you hourly to work at home. And I will have full medical benefits, if I choose to buy them, for working part time.
So it would seem that it’s true: me and medical transcription, together again.
I’ll let you know when the official offer is made by human resources and when I am again an at-home transcriptionist.
Lynn
PS – Expect pictures of an office redo. Oh, and I spent so much time at the hospital today, I did NOT get to go to any thrift stores, but it’s okay.
By Lynn, on April 8th, 2008%
A Mother’s Journal may be pen on paper. It may be fancy feather quill on heavy luxurious paper or a once-sharp pencil working to be visible on a piece of tattered notebook paper. Yes, a mother’s journal may be written word. Most often, though, it’s the unseen thoughts written on a mother’s heart.
It’s the fervent desire that baby be safe. It’s gently holding sweet baby’s feet in her hands and hoping that it is a mercy-strewn path upon which those little feet always walk. It’s wanting to impart a bit of poetry and pretty song. It’s wanting to show all the good in the world and the human soul to little one, and hoping beyond hope — until it feels like a mother’s heart might break — that her precious one escapes harm and all evil. It’s making sure buttons are right. It’s band-aids and kisses. It’s modeling the compassion to rescue the wounded wren. It’s the courage to say no to what’s not good. A mother’s journal is the million trillion thoughts that a mother has towards her baby, that turn into one long thought and is the mother’s heart until she breathes no more.
Lynn
By Lynn, on April 7th, 2008%
I mentioned not long ago about seeing a picture of my mother when she was a baby. I also mentioned that my third son was my proof that I am my mother’s daughter. I have always been the spitting image of my dad. But my third son, from the very first moment he was born, favored my mother, and the Thomases, my mother’s people.
It’s funny though. The older John has gotten the more he looks like me, and the older I get the more I see of my mother in me. I guess we cannot really deny the little traces of all of our family and ancestors in us.
I love this picture of my mother when she was a baby.
Note the worried face. (Yes indeed, worrying runs in this family!) See the furrowed brow. I am not sure if my mother was worried about not being held or if she was already concerned about someone sitting her down on the ground so that her clothes might get soiled. My mother is the neatest person I have ever known. Organized? Neat? Clean? With time to do other things too? How does this happen? This is my mother. Maybe she can shed some light on how to do this.
Now, this is my third son as a baby.
Note the sweet little mouth and button nose. Note the furrowed brow. He’s neat too. And he knows how to worry about things. He was also probably concerned about not being held. Oh how I loved this baby! (Well, I loved all of my babies.) But this baby wanted to be in his mama’s arms, with his little arms wrapped around her neck and his warm breath on her neck. He did not fuss. He was precious!
Well, just wanted to share that today. My third son will be 14 next month. Where did the time go??
Here’s one more. Baby John’s not smiling in this one, but you hopefully can see the resemblance.
 
Lynn
By Lynn, on April 6th, 2008%
I wanted to share something this morning, before I get started with my day today.
Last night on my break, I walked into the thrift store. There I found one of my favorite resources for homeschooling: a whole bunch of mint-condition Our State: Down Home in North Carolina magazines! For only 25 cents each. It’s a magazine I love, and one I would purchase off the stand, but I’ve never subscribed because through the years I have been fortunate enough to keep my shelves stocked from thrift store purchases. I think quite a few North Carolinians subscribe, and from time to time someone cleans their shelves off! I bought 39 new issues last night.
One of the things I love is Our State’s special issues, like their lighthouse issue and their spring issue. Oh, I have a spring issue in my hand right now and it is full of beautiful gardens in North Carolina.
I even found the names of a couple who restore and sell old telephones. (Remember the old phone I found that I want to have repaired?)
Each issue of Our State magazine is full of North Carolina history, information about places to visit, and beautiful pictures. It’s a great way to teach North Carolina history.
While I was at it, I took some pictures of another bunch of magazines. Wildlife in North Carolina.
Wildlife in North Carolina is the official educational publication of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. At 12 dollars a year, the price simply cannot be beat. We have been subscribers for about 10 years now.
Every month the magazine has information about North Carolina wildlife and land, including native animals, waterways, science know-how, and special events. It is a great way to teach about North Carolina wildlife and science in general. It’s a great Biology resource.
Last month there was an article on how to use the big dipper as a compass and to tell time! How cool is that?
You might want to check and see if your own state offers any publications of this kind.
Happy Sunday,
Lynn
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About Lynn 
Approaching-50 mother of four. Thrifter. Content with lots of clothes bought for very little money. Loves retro. (That could be styles from the 40s and 50s. And sometimes stuff even older than that. And sometimes stuff from all time, all mixed up together!) Bluffs about decluttering but secretly loves STUFF. Goes through stages. Has standing and staring spells before rearranging the entire home. Just because. Tune in each day to see what new outfit comes home from G.W. Boutique next. (That's Goodwill, by the way.) Oh, and she owns a spoiled beagle named Annie. And this blog.
Grab A Button <div align="center"><a href="http://www.amothersjournal.com" title="A Mother's Journal ~ A Bit of Birdsong"><img src="http://www.innatelygray.com/images/abitofbirdsong_120_200.jpg" alt="A Mother's Journal ~ A Bit of Birdsong" style="border:none;" /></a></div> The Players
Lil Ol' Me
Son Daniel, 23
Son, Big Joe, 21
Son, John, 17
Daughter, Michaela, 13
Annie Fatso Beagle
My Symphony
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
William Henry Channing
1810-1884
What You Do Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.
Contact Me 
I would  for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
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